Governor Matt Blunt recently approved Jessica's Law, a bill that will give stiffer penalties to sexual predators and overturn a state statute criminalizing same sex sodomy acts. But, Attorney General Jay Nixon was using that state law as legal grounds to challenge a judge's ruling that a lesbian couple in Kansas City could become foster parents, regardless of their sexual orientation. Department of Social Services spokeswoman, Deborah Scott, says Nixon dropped the appeal too soon.

Deborah Scott: "We're shocked and really outraged that the Attorney General would do this without consulting with us first and without our consent. We are appealing to him to reverse that decision and if he does not then we'll consider our options at that point."

Scott says the state is asking Nixon to still pursue the appeal and in the meantime is working on an emergency rule to limit unmarried and homosexual couples from becoming foster parents in Missouri.